Swollen Ear Cartilage

My three year old daughter woke up this morning with her left ear sticking out and swollen. We gave her some benadryl and it didn't seem to help. She has quite a few bugs bites on the back of her neck. I didn't notice any bites by her swollen ear. Has anyone else had a child with this? And if so what caused it? What did you do? And how long did it take for it to get better? And did you go into the Dr.?

 

One of my boys is allergic to mosquito bites, but Benadryl & an anti itch/pain cream usually do the trick.
One of my co workers, however, has gotten a serious skin infection from being bitten on the ear by a mosquito, 2 years in a row. She was on iv antibiotics both times. They were worried about the infection being so close to her brain.
Is the swollen area hot? If so, I'd be concerned & would probably give the doc a call.

 

We did take her in and yep she had an infection caused by mosquito bites. It took 24 hours after her swollen ear to even see the bite. Then there was a lot of puss. So she in on antibiotics. Her ear has decreased slightly. She looks so weird right now. I didn't think you could be allergic to mosquito bites.

Thank you Joanna for sharing those stories.

 

Hi pamalhoney! Welcome to HI/SN! :sign0016:

How good that you didn't wait but got your daughter's swollen ear checked out. It's always best when you see something unusual like that, particularly on the head or around the major sense organs, to have the child seen by a doctor. I'm glad you did!

 

I'm glad you took her in. I hope her ear will be back to normal soon.
Do you use bug spray currently? I found some really helpful OFF w/Deet wipes. They make applying the repellant so easy, especially around the hairline. I also like Cutter brand cream repellant. It looks like sunscreen, but is just repellant. It's also easily applied.